[velikipop]

I put straw, leaves and composted manure on all my garlic beds, about 4 inches thick. I leave it on the beds until harvest time in July without any problems. The only concern I might have with six inches of leaves is excessive moisture and that the leaves would stick together and become heavy. The mulch will retain moisture, so no need to water, and prevent weeds from becoming a problem.

In the fall of 2005 I put a little too much straw on the beds and it took a while for some of the smaller varieties to emerge. So what I do now is check the beds and remove the excess where needed. If you can get some Russian Red or Yugoslavian garlic they will grow under almost any condition.

I'll post some pics of my current patch in the next few days.